Introduction to Montreal Tour: From Fur Trade To Today

A native Montrealer, Daniel has always been fascinated with the history of his city. In the 90s, Daniel founded was at the forefront of Montreal's famed "club scene;" publishing Hombre Magazine which chronicled the nightlife and artistic milieus of the time. He holds degrees in Art History, City Design, and Law. As an undergraduate student, Daniel explored the history of architecture and urban development of Montreal. One of his mentors during this period was the renowned architectural historian and archaeologist Jean Belisle. Daniel's graduate thesis at the London School of Economics examined Montreal's famous Indoor City as an ideal typology for the Global Economy. He has designed and conducted tours for Heritage Montreal, the city's main architectural and urban conservation group. Daniel recently passed the Bar exams in the Province of Ontario, and will be fulfilling the remainder of his licencing requirements beginning in September. From the great sites, to the intimate histories, he is looking forward to sharing his insights of Montreal with you, and helping you feel at home during your visit.

Justin Bur chose to live in Montreal 30 years ago to benefit from its vibrant mix of cultures, finding life much more interesting in two languages than just one. His lifelong fascination with the workings of cities and their transportation systems led him to obtain a master's degree in urban planning from Université de Montréal in 1994. Since then, he has further explored numerous topics in the history of Montreal's urban development, including the 200 years of evolution of the Mile End neighborhood; Saint-Laurent Boulevard, from country houses to a lively multicultural microcosm of the city; and the development of Montreal's road, rail and public transit networks. He has been active since 2007 with two local historical societies, the <a href="http://amisboulevardstlaurent.com/?lang=en">Friends of Saint-Laurent Boulevard</a> and <a href="http://memoire.mile-end.qc.ca/?lang=en/?lang=en">Mile End Memories</a>, for which he has led numerous walking tours and lectured and written on neighborhood history. His goal has always been to understand the present state of the city through an exploration of its past – combining approaches from history, geography, and urban planning – in order to tell true stories about the evolution of his favorite places.

Charlotte Dennick is a retired elementary and secondary school administrator with 50 years of teaching and administrative experience in Quebec. She was born and raised in Montreal and holds degrees in both history and in education. Since her retirement from full time administration work, she has continued her instructional work as a Student Teaching Supervisor at McGill University’s Faculty of Education. Charlotte combines her educational background with that of mentor/guide, and helps to ensure that the graduates are well prepared for their future careers. For the last eleven years, she has united her love of history and her background in education, in her work as a senior docent at the McCord Canadian History Museum and at the Chateau Ramezay Museum. Both institutions focus on the history of Montreal and Quebec. At each of these museums, she shares with visitors the fascinating and complex story of how and why both Montreal and Quebec occupy a unique place in Canada and in today’s North America. She is excited to join the Context Travel team as a docent for the Montreal region.